


The Best Teacher

by Yenneffer



Series: Zack Week 2020 [3]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Not literally this time, Puppy Zack Fair, Reversed Trope, Serious Injuries, Teacher-Student Relationship, Zack Fair Being Zack Fair, Zack Week 2020, Zack's hugs are a force of nature, don't worry guys he's fine, i’ll start, let’s make 2020 a give seph a hug year, mentions of Kunsel, mentors learning from students gives me feels, nah let’s make it an au where no one dies and everyone’s happy, until Crisis Core happens anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:28:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26665957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yenneffer/pseuds/Yenneffer
Summary: Pain is the best teacher.Written for Zack Week 2020 Day 3: Teacher
Relationships: Zack Fair & Angeal Hewley, Zack Fair & Sephiroth
Series: Zack Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1938307
Comments: 2
Kudos: 36





	The Best Teacher

Pain is said to be the best teacher. It sharpens focus, grants perseverance, enforces patience and caution into those who have come out whole on the other side of its lessons.

Pain teaches you ways to be stronger for the next time it comes; avoid it if you can, bear through it if you can’t. But always – survive.

Angeal knows it, has lived by it, and has never before believed it to be such utter _bullshit_.

“Heh, you look almost concerned... don’t worry, man, you’re not getting rid of me that easily.” Zack offers him a wide smile despite the trouble he has breathing. His teeth are covered in blood.

“Be serious for once, Zack,” Angeal admonishes, not meaning it. “And stop talking! You’re making it worse.”

“Can’t, ‘Geal.” He coughs wetly, body tensing as it moves something that shouldn’t be moved inside him. “If I’m gonna go out, I sure as hell ain’t gonna be serious doing it... not that I plan on quitting. Gotta teach life a lesson, right? Nothing gets Zack Fair down...”

The older man purses his lips and presses down on the soaked cloth covering his student’s chest. The diagonal, jagged gorge of a wound squelches under his palms, but the steady trickle of blood seems to have ceased for now. The ribs strain and creak under the pressure, and Zack’s piercing scream is going to follow Angeal down to his frigging grave.

“Can’t... breathe...” he gasps, gulping for air. His lips are turning blue, and skin – always a little tanned from all the time spent running around outside – is an unappealing grey. The pain has no place in the mako-blue eyes, and yet it’s there. Angeal wants to gouge it out.

Here are his choices, then; keep up the pressure and prevent Zack from bleeding out, listening as he struggles for air and eventually fails. Or ease the pressure, hoping that it will allow the apparently pierced lung to function (damned ribs, if Zack didn’t need them to _live_ he’d tear them out, straight out of his chest), and let the heart pump his lifeforce out onto the ground and over Angeal’s _hands_.

It is all a matter of time then; which of the damned options would buy more of it?

And where is the damn evac team?!

Angeal has known pain, before. It taught him to not overexert himself too much when he’s been going on for days, and keep the energy he might need later. It taught him to push through the burn of wounds and keep fighting, in the war. It showed him to be careful, always, and anticipate the enemy’s moves instead of rushing blindly in.

He has never known a first thing about it, before.

_“Come on, are you really telling me you’ve never played a video game? Aww, we’re fixing that; tonight, you and I, against a zombie horde in_ Walking Brains IV _. I’ll bring snacks!_

_“You are a week behind your reports, Zack. Do you think that wasting your evening on silly games will help you achieve your dream?”_

_“Hell yeah! Tonight I’m the teacher; I’ll show you how to lose that serious mood! Prepare to be bowled over by my awesomeness!”_

_“That was a rhetorical question.”_

Pain was bullshit and a false teacher, Angeal decides as they’re carried away in the med helicopter, a pair of doctors working frantically in the back to keep the young man breathing. Zack has taught him that hope was a far better one; he’ll hold on to his student’s teachings, just this once.

“Angeal, help me!” Zack begs as he sees him enter the white room. “You have to spring me from here, they’re gonna turn me into a pincushion if I stay here a minute longer!”

Angeal expertly avoids the puppy dog eyes that implore him to ignore reason and listen to Zack’s mad ideas. He’s caved too many times, and regretted every one of them.

“You have a hole in your chest; you’re not getting out of here. And if you ask Kunsel for help, I’m going to get him banned from visiting, so better behave.”

“Nooo! You can’t ban Kuns, I’m going to go mad with nothing to do. Brainrot is a lethal condition, you wouldn’t want me to suffer, right Angeal?”

“Then _behave_ ,” he admonishes, unimpressed. “And you should be resting, anyway. If you really need something to occupy your time, I will bring you your overdue reports.”

Zack’s eyes widen. “Whoa, no need to do that! Let’s not be hasty, eh?”

Angeal sighs. “Zack, you really do need to finish them. And you may as well while you’re resting bed-ridden. Think how much less you’re going to want to do them once you can move about, again. Treat this as a lesson in time management.”

“You’re evil! What’s happened to you? Wait, are you an evil replicant and the real Angeal is shut down somewhere, waiting to be rescued?! Don’t worry, Angeal! I’ll escape from here and save you!”

The older man answers drily, “As long as you wait until after you’ve healed, feel free.”

Zack pouts. “See, this is what an evil replicant would want me to do!”

“Zack. _Rest_.” Angeal turns around to leave only to be stopped by a wounded whine. “Now what?”

“I’m injured! Don’t I get a hug? As your best student?”

“You’re my _only_ student. And your ribs are cracked; I’m not coming within range of your arms, grasshopper, your hugs are too energetic for your own good right now.”

“No way! I even convinced Seph to give me a hug! Well, more like he let _me_ give _him_ one, but still, same difference!”

“You hugged Sephiroth?”

“A-ha. Talk about lessons, ‘Geal. Did you know he’s never been hugged before? I had to teach him what to do with his arms and stuff! How come you and Genesis never did that before? You’ve been friends for years,” Zack asks, tilting his head in puzzlement. “Hugs are the best way to show your friends you love them. You gotta do better, Angeal!” He mock-admonishes sternly, wagging a finger at him, but the smile cracking his face betrays his mood. He cackles. “Aww man, your face! It’s alright, go now if you must. And give Seph a hug from me when you see him!” He calls after his teacher’s retreating back.

Sometimes Zack is the best out of all of them, an unbeaten spirit and light of hope, and Angeal wonders who is the real teacher between them. Other times he is a madman with chaos trailing after him like a faithful hound (or a _puppy_ ). At all times, however, he is a dear friend, and Angeal swears to himself to shield him from any lessons pain might try to teach him.

**Author's Note:**

> Angeal's entering the irony territory at the end there, considering what's happened in Crisis Core.  
> I'm sorry?


End file.
